WHY A VIRGIN BIRTH?

INTRO:

% of Christians who no longer believe in the virgin birth of Jesus.

SLIDE: Show Graph

Survey of adults in America revealed that in:

1994 78% of people communicated they believed in the virgin birth

2007 75% of people communicated they believed in the virgin birth

2014 73% of people communicated they believed in the virgin birth

2017 66% of people communicated they believed in the virgin birth

From 2014 to 2017 the percentage of white mainline protestants who believe in the virgin birth has declined from 83% to 71%

The greatest drop was seen in young adults 18-29 (From 70% in 2014 down to 54% in 2017)

So, does it really make any difference whether Jesus was born of a virgin or not? Absolutely!

If Jesus was not born of a virgin, then the Bible must be dismissed as unreliable.

CS Lewis considered the virgin birth to be, “That miracle which for some reason proves hardest of all for the modern mind to accept.”

He states that if it can be established that there was no virgin birth, then the entire text o the Bible, both Old and New Testaments, loses credibility.

MESSAGE: (Virgin Mother and Child; Author Joshua Steely)

1. The Virgin Birth Reveals Jesus Had A Human Mother But Not A Human Father.

The virgin birth of Christ is an unmistakable reminder that salvation can never come through human effort, but must be the work of God himself.

Wayne Grudem

The Virgin Birth attests that no man was involved in Jesus' conception.

That is why this doctrine is more properly labeled the virgin conception-but Virgin Birth is the tra­ditional language.

The fact that Mary was a virgin at the time ofJesus' birth

Matthew 1:25 NLT

25 But he did not have sexual relations with her until her son was born. And Joseph named him Jesus.

He was conceived without a human father.

The conception of Jesus Christ was a miraculous work of God.

2. The Virgin Birth Is A Biblical Doctrine.

Christians believe in the Virgin Birth because it is attested in Scripture.

Matthew 1:18–25 NLT

18 This is how Jesus the Messiah was born. His mother, Mary, was engaged to be married to Joseph. But before the marriage took place, while she was still a virgin, she became pregnant through the power of the Holy Spirit. 19 Joseph, to whom she was engaged, was a righteous man and did not want to disgrace her publicly, so he decided to break the engagement quietly. 20 As he considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream. “Joseph, son of David,” the angel said, “do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife. For the child within her was conceived by the Holy Spirit. 21 And she will have a son, and you are to name him Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.” 22 All of this occurred to fulfill the Lord’s message through his prophet: 23 “Look! The virgin will conceive a child! She will give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel, which means ‘God is with us.’ ” 24 When Joseph woke up, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded and took Mary as his wife. 25 But he did not have sexual relations with her until her son was born. And Joseph named him Jesus.

Luke 1:26–38 NLT

26 In the sixth month of Elizabeth’s pregnancy, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a village in Galilee, 27 to a virgin named Mary. She was engaged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of King David. 28 Gabriel appeared to her and said, “Greetings, favored woman! The Lord is with you!” 29 Confused and disturbed, Mary tried to think what the angel could mean. 30 “Don’t be afraid, Mary,” the angel told her, “for you have found favor with God! 31 You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you will name him Jesus. 32 He will be very great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his ancestor David. 33 And he will reign over Israel forever; his Kingdom will never end!” 34 Mary asked the angel, “But how can this happen? I am a virgin.” 35 The angel replied, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the baby to be born will be holy, and he will be called the Son of God. 36 What’s more, your relative Elizabeth has become pregnant in her old age! People used to say she was barren, but she has conceived a son and is now in her sixth month. 37 For the word of God will never fail.” 38 Mary responded, “I am the Lord’s servant. May everything you have said about me come true.” And then the angel left her.

3. The Virgin Birth Is A Fulfillment Of Prophecy.

Although the Virgin Birth was an utterly unique event, it was not unanticipated in biblical revelation.

Matthew quotes the prophecy in

Matthew 1:22–23 NLT

22 All of this occurred to fulfill the Lord’s message through his prophet: 23 “Look! The virgin will conceive a child! She will give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel, which means ‘God is with us.’ ”

This Old Testament prophecy pointed forward to the Virgin Birth of Christ:

Isaiah 7:14 (NLT)

14 All right then, the Lord himself will give you the sign. Look! The virgin will conceive a child! She will give birth to a son and will call him Immanuel (which means ‘God is with us’).

There are many miraculous conceptions in Scripture, which are types of the greater miracle of the Virgin Birth: Sarah, Hannah, Elizabeth, and others.

As in other aspects of the saving work of Christ, God prepared the way by types and prophecy beforehand.

4. The Virgin Birth Is A Pillar Of Christianity.

The Virgin Birth has been a practically undisputed item of faith of the Church for the greater part of its history.

It is a point of com­monality between Protestant, Catholic, and Orthodox be­lievers.

In view of this historical unity on the doctrine, it is safe to say that a person who rejects the Virgin Birth has stepped outside the orthodox Christian faith.

5. The Virgin Birth Is A Work Of God The Holy Trinity.

In the Virgin Birth, we see the work and pres­ence of all three Persons of the Godhead.

Luke 1:35 NLT

35 The angel replied, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the baby to be born will be holy, and he will be called the Son of God.

All three Persons of the one God may be found in the Scripture's witness to the Incarnation, highlighting its important place in God's saving mission.

The Virgin Birth is particularly appropri­ated to the Spirit.

6. The Virgin Birth Displays The Power Of God.

Unlike all the miraculous conceptions that pointed forward to the conception of Christ, in the case of the Virgin Birth, God showed his power in a new creative act.

Though the Gospel of John does not explicitly mention the Virgin Birth, it does declare the Incarnation in a passage with strong allusions to the creation narrative (John 1).

As God had formed the first man (Adam) without parents, he formed the second Adam (Christ) with only one. In both cases, God showed profoundly his life-giving power. In the case of Jesus Christ, the miracle of his birth sets the stage for the miracle of new birth that he brings to all who trust in him.

1. The doctrine of the virgin birth is a reminder that our salvation is supernatural.

Millard J. Erickson

7. The Virgin Birth Displays The Love Of God.

For our redemption, God the Son came to earth and took on humanity at the point of conception.

Philippians 2:7 NLT

7 Instead, he gave up his divine privileges; he took the humble position of a slave and was born as a human being. When he appeared in human form,

He loved us with an incredible self-emptying type of love.

John 3:16 NLT

16 “For this is how God loved the world: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life.

The Virgin Birth is particularly appropri­ated to the Spirit.

8. The Virgin Birth Displays The Power Of God.

The theological significance of the Virgin Birth is that it is the event of the Incarnation.

When we speak about the Incarnation, that God the Son became man to accomplish our redemption, we are speaking about his miraculous conception, the Virgin Birth.

To downplay the Virgin Birth is to criticize the Salvation work of God. This divine act did not, by itself, accomplish our redemption, but it holds an essential place in the awesome redemptive drama.

The Virgin Birth is a saving act of God, the coming of God our Savior for our salvation.

9. The Virgin Birth Foreshadows The Resurrection.

Both the beginning and the end o f Christ's earthly ministry are marked by miraculous life-giving acts of the Triune God.

God brought life into the Virgin Mother's womb, and resurrected life into the garden tomb.

This parallel helps us to marvel at the unity of the saving work of Christ ­birth, life, death, resurrection, ascension, and reign. And, once again, it highlights the gift of life that comes by faith in him.

It was to a virgin woman that the birth of the Son of God was announced. It was to a fallen woman that his resurrection was announced.

Fulton J. Sheen

10. The Virgin Birth Declares The Glory And Uniqueness Of Jesus.

The story of Jesus' life is remarkable in the coexistence of the ordinary and the extraordinary. His deity was veiled, such that people could believe him to be an ordinary man, but time and again he displayed power and wisdom beyond all other men . The same may be said of his birth . It was so lowly that it escaped the notice of most of the " important" people in the world, but it was also such a spectacular miracle that, for those who believe, it declares the advent of a Man like no other. This is a fitting entrance for the Son of God, come for the salvation of mankind.

The virgin birth also makes possible Christ’s true humanity without inherited sin.

Wayne Grudem

11. The Virgin Birth Testifies To Jesus’ Humanity.

Had Jesus come into the world without any human parent, it would be easier to question his genuine humanity.

Even if God had formed him of the dust of the earth, as he did with Adam, we might doubt whether he was really of our human race.

But the fact that Jesus had a human mother, who bore and birthed and nursed him, attests to his true and full humanity.

12. The Virgin Birth Testifies To Jesus’ Deity.

Had Jesus come into the world the normal way, via two human parents, it would have been easier to question his genuine deity.

The Gospels attest that knowing his parentage (as people thought) was a stumbling block to faith

John 6:42 NLT

42 They said, “Isn’t this Jesus, the son of Joseph? We know his father and mother. How can he say, ‘I came down from heaven’?”

But by sending his Son in the womb of the Virgin, God communicated to us that he was someone su­pernatural. The claim that he is the Word made flesh agrees with the claim that he was born of a virgin.

13. The Virgin Birth Underlines Orthodox Christology.

The biblical and historical doctrine of Christ is that he is one person with two natures-the Divine Person of God the Son, with both his divine nature and the human na­ture that he assumed in the Incarnation.

But had the Son assumed human nature at any point after conception, he not only would have two natures but would be two per­sons.

The Virgin Birth shows how the Son assumed hu­man nature without adding another person to himself. Christological errors and rejection of the Virgin Birth may easily go hand-in-hand.

14. The Virgin Birth Shows That Jesus Lived A Human Life.

If ever we are tempted to doubt the completeness of Jesus' human experience, the Virgin Birth secures it.

The Incarnation began where our human lives begin, at concep­tion.

Jesus experienced the whole human life cycle, even gestation and birth.

When the Son of God came down for our rescue, he came all the way. He understands us from the inside of human experience, and he can bring us safely home.

Christmas is that miraculous advent of Immanuel, God with us.

CONCLUSION:

Have you been brought home safely? Do you know Jesus as your Lord and Saviour?

Believing in the virgin birth is essential to Christianity.

A growing number of Americans (52%) say it does not matter to them if they are greeted with “Merry Christmas” or “Happy Holidays” when shopping.